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April 28 is International "Pay It Forward Day" or "Random Acts of Kindness Day." I saw it on my social media feed, so I looked it up. Turns out 70 countries have signed this into being a legit "International Day of..." The idea is to make today a reminder to be kind to others every day.

Not a bad idea. It's good to have reminders. For instance, this morning I failed to write down all the errands I needed to run for the family, and Awaken Church. I still don't have windshield washer fluid in my car.

Reminders are good. Windshields of crusty bug carcasses are bad.

At this point, I must issue a warning/disclaimer: if you are offended by acronyms, or have a deep loathing for cheesy cliche-ish type things, then stop reading now, and return to whatever deep intellectual pursuit you were engaged in before you came here.

Reflecting on what it means to Be KIND, I came up with these ways to do it:

Several years ago, a church I was serving entered the Adopt-a-School program, adopting the elementary school down the street. The people of our church invested in the school by going and reading to children, providing tokens of appreciation for teachers, offering our church's park for regular play dates and special events, and in various other ways. To express our love for the school, a small plaque of the 10 Commandments was made and gifted to the principal with no fanfare whatsoever. The principal decided to display the plaque alongside a trophy case in the hallway, with various awards and trophies. A couple of weeks later, the entire community was buzzing because an anonymous parent saw the plaque and took offense, writing a letter to the school board about "separation of church and state" and the inappropriateness of a passage from the Bible posted where her child was forced to see it. The Principal decided to simply take it down, and had another plaque, thankin…

Jesus is the subject. Yes, a recurring theme on my blog, in my social media feed, in my sermons, and in my conversations. This is because this has become the constant theme of my life.

It's Easter weekend, and our senses are more in-tune with Jesus. Bringing to mind questions about empires, crucifixion, and the Resurrection. And also, are Jesus and the Easter Bunny friends? And, why do bunnies lay multi-colored eggs once a year?

Jesus refers to Himself as "the Light of the world." My experience has been that He brings all of the aforementioned qualities of light into my life as I journey. As I say, "OK, Jesus, You lead, I'll follow," He awakens and enlightens me.

There is a phrase I keep coming across in my reading/studying/training in church planting: "Failure to launch." This is when a church planter, or church planting team, get a vision, start the journey, work hard, pray even harder, do everything they know to do (and even a few things they don't)... and for whatever reason (usually there are several), fail to get the new church launched. I'm picking up that this is a big "fear of failure" that some church planters deal with.

There is a quote that says, "Failure is not an option." But the reality is... yes it is an option.

Any time you attempt something, especially something bigger than you, failure is a very real option.

In my experience, failure can be a good thing. In my own failures I have learned things about myself and others. In failure, I have discovered a way that would work because of discovering the ways that wouldn't. Failure keeps me honest, because there are moments when I thi…

I feel the most fully alive when I'm experiencing something new. And teaching others. And teaching others so that something new is awakened in them. Life is meant to be lived. People are meant to be loved.
Jesus is the Subject.